Tag: Logo

the build up for Eurovision has really begun this week as we are about 100 days from the start of Eurovision Song Contest 2017 in Kyiv, Ukraine. Yesterday the Logo and slogan for the 62nd Eurovision Song Contest were announced and this morning the semi-final allocation draw took place.

43 countries will take part in this years contest which sees Portugal and Romania returning to the contest, while Bosnia & Herzegovina withdraws due to financial issues at its national broadcaster.

Australia return for their 3rd appearance at the Song Contest which will take place at the International Exhibition Centre in Kyiv on the 9th, 11th and 13th of May.

Logo

The logo and slogan this year are for the theme “Celebrate Diversity” and this is something close to the heart for many Eurovision fans. The logo is based on a Namysto, a Ukrainian bead necklace which was used as a protective amulet and symbol of also builds on last years theme of “Come Together”

Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest, Jon Ola Sand said: “The notion of celebrating diversity builds on last year’s theme of ‘Come Together’ and is at the heart of Eurovision values: it is all-inclusive and all about countries around Europe, and beyond, joining together to celebrate both our common ground and our unique differences, as well as some great music”.

He continued: “Incorporating this beautiful and meaningful logo based on a traditional amulet gives not only a sense of history and heritage but also a modern look and feel. As the production grows from these themes, we are very much looking forward to seeing what is sure to be a fantastic event in May.”

Semi-Final Draw

This morning the draw took place for the Semi-Finals. Countries were drawn for which half they would be in, as the running order will be decided by the production staff. 18 Countries will compete in Semi-Final One, while 19 will compete in Semi-Final Two. 10 countries will advance to the Grand Final on May 13th where six countries are pre-qualified. They are the host’s Ukraine and the Big Five countries, France, Italy, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom.

Semi-Final 1 May 9th

Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom will vote in this semi-final

1st Half:

Albania

Australia

Azerbaijan

Belgium

Finland

Georgia

Montenegro

Portugal

Sweden

2nd Half:

Armenia

Cyprus

Czech Republic

Greece

Iceland

Latvia

Moldova

Slovenia

Poland

Semi Final 2

France, Germany and the Ukraine will vote in this Semi-Final

1st Half:

Austria

Denmark

Hungary

Ireland

Macedonia

Malta

Netherlands

Romania

Russia

Serbia

2nd Half

Belarus

Bulgaria

Croatia

Estonia

Israel

Lithuania

Norway

San Marino

Switzerland

I’m looking forward to this years contest! Look out for more posts on the contest as we get closer to May!

Next month will see the annual Europe Day Celebrations take place on May 9th. This is year, the European Movement International have decided to have a theme to this years celebrations and have decided on “United in Diversity” (sound familiar?).

They have created a logo and a page for all the events taking place across Europe.

There will be events organised in Ireland and if you know of any please email stephen(at)stephespillane(dot)com and I will publish them.

The lovely people at the European Movement Ireland tell me there will be something happening in Ireland on the 7th of May, as Europe Day is on a Sunday this year. So stayed tuned!

Update: The people who run bloggingportal.eu are looking for ideas on how we could celebrate Europe Day online. If you have any ideas, please post them in the comments! Thank you!